Colorado XXXVI

 

Last fall I was, once again, in Colorado and as seems to happen most times I am there, I found myself at the Colorado Springs Memorial.

I am not sure why, but it seems to happen that each time I visit I find something I have not seen before.

This time it was a memorial to War Dogs.

If you have spent any time on this site, you know how big a soft spot I have for dogs. I've told the story of my dog in 'Nam. Not a military dog, just a dog who adopted me the day I arrived. She rarely left my side and only through the most difficult of circumstances was I forced to leave her behind when I came home.

Maybe that is why I always like to feature our friends, comrades and protectors when I have the chance.

So, as I walked around the site I came across these guys. Maybe they were always there, but this time we met.

The memorial, of course, honors dogs from many wars and those lost at the World Trade Center.

For some reason, I really like the idea of the two dogs gazing at the tower. 

There are a number of these pavers here honoring dogs from many wars and 9/11.

Next time, on the 9th, we will revisit Delaware, so join me there at 9:00am.

To see additional memorials from Colorado, or any other state, please click on the state name on the left side of this page.

I will ask, as I do at the end of nearly every post now, for anyone who has pictures of Vietnam memorials not seen here to please send them to me. I will give you full photo credit for the pic and any information about it you may know. Check your state, or anywhere you may have visited, from the list at the left, or any place else. Please send them to the email at the left or directly to me at Ldddad@comcast.net. Thanks!

Colorado XXX

Colorado Springs as you probably know is the home of the Air Force Academy and if you follow this site you know that it also has a pretty remarkable memorial site not far away.

I have written about it often.

Today, I want to share what is probably the last one from this site that pertains to Vietnam and and we its vets.

I mentioned this one briefly in a past post but wanted to give it its due here. MIA/POWs are frequently mentioned and I expect always in the minds of those who participated in the war and probably many, many others. It there are nagging questions: what happened to them, are there any POWs still in captivity, will we ever resolve these issues?

 I, for one, harbor no illusion that these are any remaining POWs, but there are those who disagree. We may or may not ever know for sure. We do know that there are many still unaccounted for MIAs. There is a long running effort and cooperation between the US and Vietnam in a joint recovery task force to try to find and identify these lost. I believe the current number is in the neighborhood of 1300, down from 2645.

 

 

So, these memorials are important and a constant reminder of our duty to

be diligent and never ceasing in our efforts to bring our heroes home.

If you are interested in how many from your state are still MIA you can check here:

https://www.dpaa.mil/Our-Missing/Vietnam-War/Vietnam-War-POW-MIA-List/

 

 

My state, Maryland, is still missing 23, I admit I was surprised.

 

Some one must have visited today, as these offerings are removed each evening

Next time, on the 1st of May, we will revisit Connecticut, so meet me these, as always, at 9:00am.

To see additional memorials from Colorado, or any other state, please click on the state name on the left side of this page.

Colorado XXIX

So, as promised last time, I was able to root through many, many files and find something from Colorado.

The larger memorial here, in the Colorado Memorial Park, is dedicated to all whom were lost in all of our wars with the five pillars representing and honoring the five services. It was dedicated on November 11th, 1968, so certainly we were on someones mind.

Over the ensuing years a number of memorials have been added, encircling the larger one and I have posted some of them elsewhere on this site.

Today, I am able to share an additional one dedicated, specifically, to the Marine Corps.

While it, too, is not specifically dedicated to those lost in Vietnam, we are listed among the many.

I was quite interested to note some of the engagements listed hereon. I was unfamiliar with at least a couple. I am sure my Marine buddies can fill me in on these.

Colorado Memorial Park is located on 1605 E. Pikes Peak Avenue in Colorado Springs.

Next time, on the 10th, we will return to Delaware, so join me there, as always, at 9:00am.

To see additional memorials from Colorado, or any other state, please click on the state name on the left side of this page.

Colorado XXII

I have posted from Colorado Springs before, but when I revisited the site earlier this year I found a memorial specifically to Vietnam that Is either new or, for some reason, I may have missed it the first time.

Regardless, here it is.

This is the central tower of the memorial. In a large circle surrounding it are a number of memorials to different wars and warriors. It stands just off South Union Blvd. adjacent to the Olympic Training Center.

There are several memorials here dedicated to those who served or were lost in 'Nam. This is the most general, dedicated to all from Colorado who made the ultimate sacrifice.

 

This last pic is of the dedication plaque at the bottom of the memorial.

The Memorial Park is a central meeting and recreational facility for Colorado Springs. Many, many activities are available and festivals of many kinds are held here. when we were visiting in June, an Irish Fest was taking place in the park.

Next time, on the 14th, we will once again, visit Connecticut,so join me there, as always, at 9:00am

To see other memorials from Colorado, or any other state, click the state name on the left side of this page.

I might also remind you, here, that if you "click" on a picture, it will enlarge for better viewing.

Colorado V

I could not find any official memorials in Denver. I did locate a POW memorial in the Capitol building which is the first shown here. It is located on the entrance floor in a corner. The last one was in Colorado Springs, so I decided to include them both at this time.

I think I have noted before that the POW flag was designed by the wife of a 'Nam POW, but has since become the icon for all POW/MIA's from any war. I read on a memorial in Alabama that there are 188,000 MIA's from all American involvements. I am not sure how these figures are determined or if they are even accurate, but whatever the number, it is huge. These, along with all of those killed, are in fact the costs of war, not the dollars, the machinery, not the national issues often stated as justification.

Colorado IV

288 Forward Air Controllers are honored at this site.

American planes were so fast that the pilots had trouble pinpointing, or even seeing, the enemy on the ground. So, smaller, slower aircraft were used to track enemy movement and positions. As time went on and the ground fire power increased, faster planes were eventually called upon for this critical mission. These pilots, who were all experienced fighter/bomber pilots, became experts in noting changes to landscape, number of people, etc in a given area and would send this info back to the folks who made attack decisions. Often these smaller planes were relatively safe as the enemy would not want to expose their position by firing upon them, however, many were shot down or crashed on were in some way destroyed and this led to the 288 honored here.

You can read much more about the role these heroic pilots played in the greatest FAC system in history, here;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward_air_controllers_in_the_Vietnam_War

or here;

http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~tpilsch/AirOps/facs.html

Colorado III

Between Denver and Pueblo lies Colorado Springs. As it is the home of the Airforce Academy and Fort Carson is near by, it is no surprise that vets are well remembered by the city.

Prospect Park, a huge public area in the city, is the home of 17 memorials to vets. Several of these are to 'Nam vets.

Today, I will focus on the main memorial dedicated to all veterans and the one to the 619 Coloradans who perished in Vietnam.

The first picture is of the main memorial in the park. It dominates the skyline from every direction as it sits on the highest point in the city.

The next two pictures are of the Vietnam memorial and the plaque noting the time capsule on site.

The last photo is of the date on the main memorial. 1968 makes it one of the very first. I have had a lot of people on my journeys, claim to be the first. I find that, often, they are mistaken. Perhaps that will be a project for the future; trying to determine where the very first memorial to Vietnam vets is actually located and when it was erected!

The post that follows this one will honor Forward Air Controllers and POW's.